California

San Diego County supervisor to resign after assault lawsuit

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A powerful San Diego County supervisor said he will resign amid accusations that he sexually assaulted a government employee, completing a swift and shocking fall for a decorated Marine combat veteran whose star rose with his Democratic Party’s ascendancy in the nation’s eighth-largest city.

Nathan Fletcher, who defected from the Republican Party in 2012, was elected to a second term on the county board of supervisors with 65% of the vote in November, two years after Democrats won a board majority that eluded their grasp for decades.

USA: NASA releases climate strategy

LOS ANGELES, March 29 (Xinhua) -- NASA released its climate strategy on Wednesday in an effort to expand agency-wide efforts to counter climate challenges.

The strategy assesses NASA's climate portfolio across the agency for the first time, extending beyond science and exploration efforts to include every mission directorate and NASA facility.

USA: Twitter removes tweets about ‘Trans Day of Vengeance’

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter says it has removed thousands of tweets showing a poster promoting a “trans day of vengeance” protest in support of transgender rights in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Ella Irwin, Twitter’s head of Trust and Safety, said in a tweet Wednesday that the company automatically removed more than 5,000 tweets and retweets of a poster promoting the event.

USA: Los Angeles schools shut down as staff begin 3-day strike

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District walked off the job Tuesday over stalled contract talks, and they are being joined in solidarity by teachers in a three-day strike that has shut down the nation’s second-largest school system.

Demonstrations began at a bus yard and are expected at schools across the city by members of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 teachers’ aides, special education assistants, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other support staff.

Anti-war rallies take place in southern California 20 years after U.S. invasion of Iraq

SAN DIEGO, the United States, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Anti-war organizations held rallies in Los Angeles and San Diego on Saturday in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which started on March 20, 2003.

The gathering came amid nationwide anti-war rallies organized by Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER Coalition), a U.S.-based protest umbrella group consisting of many anti-war and civil rights organizations.

USA: Silicon Valley Bank collapse concerns founders of color

In the hours after some of Silicon Valley Bank’s biggest customers started pulling out their money, a WhatsApp group of startup founders who are immigrants of color ballooned to more than 1,000 members.

Questions flowed as the bank’s financial status worsened. Some desperately sought advice: Could they open an account at a larger bank without a Social Security Number? Others questioned whether they had to physically be at a bank to open an account, because they’re visiting parents overseas.

San Francisco's First Republic Bank to receive 30 bln USD rescue from 11 U.S. large banks

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16 (Xinhua) -- As the share price of San Francisco-based First Republic Bank fell and its credit was downgraded, 11 U.S. large banks said on Thursday they would make uninsured deposits worth 30 billion U.S. dollars into First Republic Bank to shore it up.

The deposits came from Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BNY Mellon, PNC Bank, State Street, Truist and U.S. Bank.

Further U.S. involvement in Ukraine is not vital national interest, says DeSantis

March 13 (Reuters) - Becoming "further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia" is not a vital U.S. national interest, said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is eying running for president, in comments released on Monday.

Public opinion polls show DeSantis as the strongest threat to former President Donald Trump for their party's nomination for the 2024 presidential contest.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Monday posted on Twitter responses to a questionnaire from Republican candidates and possible hopefuls on the war in Ukraine.

USA: SVB shockwaves rattle global banks in grip of contagion fears

March 14 (Reuters) - Silicon Valley Bank's collapse pressured global bank stocks further on Tuesday as investors fretted over the financial health of some lenders, in spite of assurances from U.S. President Joe Biden and other policymakers.

An indicator of credit risk in the euro zone banking system leapt to its highest since mid-July, as worries about contagion risks from the collapse of two U.S. banks compounded investor concerns about the impact on lenders of rising interest rates.

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